Maundy Thursday

It was on a
    maundy Thursday,
        and all in the morning,
They planted
    a crown of thorns
        on our heavenly King.
And was not this
    a woeful thing,
And sweet Jesus
    we'll call him by name.

Today begins the Sacred Triduum. For many years, I have taken this day and the next off from work. This year is no exception. Sometimes I go to church to pray the Tenebrae of Holy Week. This year I have a unique opportunity to serve for the Triduum (Holy Thursday in the evening, Good Friday in the afternoon, and Easter Vigil late Saturday night) at a local parish of former Anglicans who "swam the Tiber" for Rome. (More on that later.)

The above notwithstanding, for a Catholic, as much as some try to deny it, the next three days are not business as usual. The whole of human history -- before, during, after -- turns on the events we remember this week. Our meditation is from a poem by Jalaludin Rumi. It is translated by Coleman Barks and John Moyne, with music by David Wilcox and Nance Pettit, and is produced by Bob Carlton.